Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Hello, Saturday

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How are you this fine Saturday morning? Other than my internet connection being sluggish (have to call the cable company) and returning a big old bug to his proper place outdoors, the morning has been fairly quiet. The sun is shining, the garden is thriving, my coffee tastes really good, and though I have more than a few worries at the moment, morning always brings the promise of a new day and that, my friends, is a little miracle.

bye bye lilacs

So long lilacs. You were especially beautiful this year.

clematis unfurling

Hello, Clematis. You’re awfully exotic looking.

peony with ants

Soon. Maybe in about 3 or 4 days? Which would take us to the first week of June. Like clockwork.

quince fruit

Remember the Weigela turned Flowering Quince?

Yep. That’s fruit. I guess that once the bush bloomed in the Spring every year, I didn’t really take the time to look at it closely again. This year I did, and darn it all if there isn’t fruit developing. Let’s see, I not only thought it was a Weigela, I insisted it was because there were no thorns or fruit.

This year I found thorns.

I found fruit.

I stand corrected.

rose bud and bug

The rose bushes are developing buds. Oh happy day!

For those of you who might have missed yesterday’s post, I’m giving away two passes to the Country Living Fair in Rhinebeck. Just scroll down for all the information. Or click here. I want to clarify that there will be two winners, who will get one pass each. (I like to spread the love around.)

My friend Heidi, whose shop Hi Ho Home Market closed this year (sob), will have a booth there. She is also giving a presentation!

And, my dear blogging friend Elyse is also presenting on Saturday. She’ll be sharing some crafts from her new book, Seaside Tinkered Treasures.

To read about both Heidi and Elyse, visit this link. Elyse is #2, Heidi is #8.

And don’t forget the other giveaway that’s going on here at MHC. Visit my post, Gardening with Hydrangeas from the Endless Summer® Collection for a chance to win a $100 Visa Gift Card.

Happy Saturday.

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Flowers & The Woods At MHC

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Looks like you love hydrangeas as much as I do! They really are perfect for a cottage garden. Frankly, they’re perfect anywhere. I have two hydrangea bushes in my gardens, not counting the new one. One is an Annabelle hydrangea and it has been a gorgeous workhorse in the garden for several years now. It blooms on old wood, so I really don’t have to do anything from year to year. It is in the garden bed that borders the far side of the porch.

thurslimelight

The other one is a limelight hydrangea that I planted about two years ago. It’s in the same garden bed as my boxwoods. Such a lovely hydrangea it is! At the end of the season the blossoms turn a deep pink. I try to cut them at the moment when the pink is the most intense. I don’t have to prune it, which I love.

Both of them made it through the horrible winter beautifully and I’m so grateful for that.

And now I have my newest hydrangea! Bring ’em on! If I had the room, I’d have even more.

Speaking of winter and plants, I had to spend several hours yesterday cutting back dead and damaged canes from my rose bushes. They didn’t fare quite as well from the winter as the hydrangeas did. There is lots of new growth on all four bushes, but there was definitely damage done. Between the rose bushes and the brambles, my hands have been repeatedly pricked by thorns. Enough, already.

apathinourwoods

Thought you might want to see one of the paths in our woods. They’re getting overgrown due to all the rain, so we’re going to have to mow them very soon. Huge areas of the woods are covered in vinca right now, so there are lots of beautiful purple blooms everywhere.

vinca

abenchinourwoods

You might have noticed a bench like this one in the photo of the path. For some reason unbeknownst to us, one of the previous owners of this property left behind a lot of cinder blocks. We find them everywhere, but there is one area in the woods where there are masses of them.

A cinder block Stonehenge.

We decided to recycle some of them by using the blocks to make some benches. There are three benches along the paths, in little clearings where we can stop, sit and listen to the sound of the birds all around us. Don suggested painting them, but I really want the benches to be a part of the landscape, as if they’ve always been there.

asigninourwoods

This old street sign sits in between the branches of a tree. That sign came from our old neighborhood in San Diego; in fact, we lived on that corner and when the signs were being replaced, we somehow ended up with this one. It’s a wonderful souvenir of our first home together, a place we lived in for six years.

My favorite little area in the woods is a little clearing we have named Catalpa Grove, for the three catalpa trees that encircle the clearing. As catalpas are always the last trees to leaf out, I’ll wait until that happens before I take a picture. It’s the place I seem to gravitate to; canopied by big old catalpas, with a cinder block bench on which to sit and think and meditate. I spent some time there the day my mother died.

galvanizedplanter

I’ve started adding things to my galvanized planter, which lives on the Funky Patio.

lilacblossoms

And I must show you one more picture of the lilacs, which I know will be gone all too soon. They are really lovely this year due, I’m sure, to the cold, cold temperatures we had this winter. Lilacs like that sort of thing.

Oh my heavens, the scent of these beauties makes my head spin!

I see a bud developing on the poppy, some of the ground cover in the garden is flowering, the peonies shoots are getting taller, the wild honeysuckle is in full bloom – every day holds a new discovery.

A hike in on our agenda today. Since the rest of the week might be rainy, we’re going to take advantage of this beautiful weather.

(If you see a little ad nestled between lines of text for this post or any other post, I’m testing an ad for BlogHer – just to let you know!)

Happy Tuesday.

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Gardening With Hydrangeas From The Endless Summer® Collection

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I love gardening. When spring arrives, I am outside most of the day, weeding, planting, mulching, pruning, taking photos, and generally sighing with happiness. We’ve lived on this property (my first ever house that wasn’t a rental) for almost nine years and in those nine years, I’ve added perennials to existing garden beds, created 4 new garden beds, and if I could, I’d add even more! There are roses, catmint, poppies, sedum, hosta, boxwood, bee balm, phlox, day lilies, butterfly bush, peonies and two versions of one of my favorites: hydrangeas. Oh, those hydrangeas! Dependable, large, lush. Such beauties they are! So when BlogHer and Endless Summer® Hydrangeas asked me if I would take a closer look at their collection of re-blooming hydrangeas, I jumped at the chance. I don’t know about you, but I see their distinctive blue pots in my favorite nurseries and I’ve been hankering for one of my very own.
Bailey'scloseup

We’re talking gorgeous color here. Some information for you on this collection: “The Endless Summer® Collection is the world’s first and best assortment of re-blooming hydrangeas. They are easy to grow, requiring a low investment in time, money and effort for a big reward. They are beautiful for gardens, containers and in cut and dried flower arrangements. No matter which variety, their beautiful big blooms enhance any outdoor living experience.” How could they not? BloomStruck_Logo_CMYK

The hydrangea that was graciously sent to me by Endless Summer is their new BloomStruck™. I counted the days until it arrived on my doorstep. With every garden bed already full around here, my husband and I decided that we needed a hydrangea on the outside of what we call the Dog Corral and adjacent to a little funky patio that we love. It will definitely add some much-needed beauty to a utilitarian chicken wire fence.

Bailey'sEndlessSummerpot

I dug the hole, which should be one and a half times as wide as the size of the pot. Well, I should be honest here. When I got tired, my husband took over. He’s got more arm strength than me! Scout, our Border Collie, supervised. Isn’t that hydrangea stunning?

Bailey'splantinfo

By the way, Endless Summer includes lots of information as to soil and when and how to plant and everything you need to know about your hydrangea.

Bailey'sgardensoil

Our soil has its share of clay, so I amended it with some garden soil, adding it to the bottom of the hole. That’s what works in my particular soil. Your soil may need different amendments. I loosened the bottom and sides of the root ball, then I made sure the crown of the plant, where the base of the stems meet the soil, was even with the ground. Then I refilled the hole with soil.

Bailey'splanted

All of our garden beds are edged with rocks that we’ve found on the property, so we did the same thing here. (Oh boy, do we have rocks on this property!) I can’t wait to watch this grow. If you’re unfamiliar with hydrangeas, the color of the blooms is directly influenced by the pH of your soil. If your pH is acidic, the blooms will be blue. If they are alkaline, the blooms will be pink. You can easily run a pH test if you’re interested and there are products you can add to the soil to change your soil’s pH. In fact, Endless Summer® offers two products that will do that for you. Color Me Pink™ and Color Me Blue™ are safe, all natural and organic. As for me, I like the element of surprise, so I’m going to watch and wait. Pink or blue, I love this plant. If you’re interested in learning more, please visit the Endless Summer® website. If you leave a comment on this post, you will be automatically entered in a contest to win a $100 Visa Gift Card. Leave a comment with an answer to this question: Do you grow hydrangeas? Tell me how you use them in your garden! Happy Planting,

Sweepstakes Rules:

No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

  1. Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
  2. Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
  3. Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
  4. For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. The notification email will come directly from BlogHer via the sweeps@blogher email address. You will have 72 hours to respond; otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 05/19/2014-06/22/2014.

Be sure to visit the Endless Summer brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ posts!

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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